Christian Education

There have been a few high profile cases about some of the horrors that take place behind the closed doors of some religious homes; we see children locked in their rooms, abusive discipline, girls going uneducated and religious indoctrination on a grotesque scale. It is time to take the lid off and see what is really going on.

The truth is that there are some terrible things being done in the name of Christianity and education, and the parents who are guilty are rightly being brought to trial; but having said that there are parents who send their children to state schools who are simply appalling when it comes to raising their children. A number of teachers have an acronym they use when dealing with the fall out that inevitably erupts when dealing with these cases – PPPS (Pathetically Poor Parenting Syndrome), there are other less polite adjectives that they often use. Read more

As some of you may know I have been at a loose end lately, what with my health and changes to our ministry. A week or two ago I asked the Lord whether he wanted me to teach anymore, or if the season was over. Well last week I received two invitations to speak as well as a trip to Ghana in November being confirmed; I guess that means I won’t be retiring just yet.

Ghana is a wide open door for me, the only limit is my energy and finances. I truly believe I have something to share that will strengthen the church in Ghana, and bring greater joy and more freedom to the believers on the ground. For the first part of the trip I will be speaking at a conference organised by a businessman from the USA; he is sponsoring local leaders who will be attending as well as paying for the expenses of the conference. (We did something similar a few years ago). The second week I am there I will be hosting a leaders conference, which last time brought leaders from over fifty churches, and that was with no advertising! On top of this there will be some radio interviews and perhaps some church visits for those with the courage – ‘Grace’ is a dangerous subject… 😉

To be able to serve the poor of this world and offer them the dignity and riches that are only available through the good news of Jesus is a massive privilege; there are many who preach a gospel to the people of Ghana that is not the Gospel, and it is my sincere desire to see the reality of the good news of Jesus, the Messiah, flow through the lives and communities of God’s people in this beautiful country. There are literally thousands of small, poor churches; many of them are plagued by superstition and a lack of knowledge. For that reason, I will spend most of my time with groups of leaders; I want to encourage and influence the influencers, hopefully developing some long term relationships as they get excited about what Jesus has done for us.

In the longer term it is still a dream to start and fund a school in Accra; I don’t want to westernise anyone, but the government schools are very limited and not all the children attend. A Christian school in one of the poorer parts of Accra would not only be a great way to disciple some children, but a proper education can help break the cycle of poverty and injustice.

Of course, none of this is without financial implications, and as I cannot make any demands on the folk in Ghana I am asking those friends,who know of Sandra’s and my calling, to consider helping out financially. You know, as well as I do, that those who give to the poor are actually lending to the Lord, and he promises to repay, which is why I have the boldness to ask for your help. Please do not feel under any sort of compulsion, you need to respond only if you want to; having said that please do pray for the trip whether you can help financially or not.

The budget is going to be something in the region of £2,200 – the lions share of that being flights and lodgings. I need to use hotels when I am in Ghana, not out of some sense of self-importance, but because in most cases it is too much of an imposition to stay with local people; they would be stretched too much financially to keep me. I also like to pay for any fuel, as well as keeping stocked up with bottled water – not even the locals trust the tap water!

Approximate Budget

Return Flights

£850

Insurance

£50

Visa

£100

Vaccinations

£100

Board

£700

Petrol

£100

Venue

£150

Refreshments for Delegates

£150

If you are able to help please make cheques payable to:

‘Redemption Ministries’, PO Box 352, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 9AG

Or go online

Account Number 00565494, Sort Code 30-93-05.

Redemption is a registered charity so we can claim tax back on all gifts from employed folk who pay tax; for those who are self employed or directors your gift can be given before tax.

There has been a lot of emotions running very high over this debate. In this post I want to put forward the arguments from both sides in as clear a way as I possibly can, hopefully allowing people to see what is what. Because my job is to write in an uncomplicated and as brief a way as possible (though that has proven difficult in this case)I haven’t included Scripture references or a list of resources; these can be easily found for both sides of the argument if needed.

A word here to the wise; if you want to comment on this post please be civil and offer well thought out arguments or agreements. Overly emotional, hateful or ignorant comments from either side will be deleted both on my blog and Face Book page.Read more

It might be hard for us to come to come to terms with, but Jesus does get angry. I don’t mean He loses the plot and becomes the slave of an emotion warped by sin, but He does get angry and seeing as He is the same yesterday, today and forever, we would do well to be aware of what hacks Him off.

Unfruitfulness

Whilst on His way to Jerusalem Jesus confronted a fruitless fig tree – Read more

Every believing parent’s desire has to be for their children to know God for themselves. A few parents may be more worried about their family tradition and or their public standing; but for the most of us we just want our kids to know Jesus.

I have the privilege of having two adult sons who are not ashamed of their faith in Jesus. In this post I want to share their perspective on coming to faith in the hope that it might help some of you with growing children. Read more

It is time to be realisitc in our expectations concerning our ministry to children. Here are some of the shortcuts, all of which in themselves are fine, but cannot deliver on the unrealistically high expectations of parents and many church goers.

Children’s Church

Children’s Church is not a magic cure for worldliness; there is no Scriptural command where God promises that your children will be on fire for Him if you send them. Children’s Church can be a blessing if used properly, but we cannot expect a weekly session on ‘being kind’ or the story of ‘David and Goliath’ to somehow combat everything the children have learned in school; no matter how dynamic the workers. They cannot be expected to download a proper worldview, correct presuppositions, genuine interpretations of Scripture, a living experience of the risen Christ in an hour, including a break for drink and biscuits; that expectation is to say the least, unfair and totally unrealistic.

If children’s church was enough then our congregations would be bursting, because we have done Sunday School for over a hundred years, and we have had a lot of children in that time. Read more

Send him to school

Seriously, this is the most effective method. Not guaranteed, but up to 90% effective.

What is wrong with our local school?

As far as schools go it is likely to be quite a good one, but for us it is not about league tables it is about discipleship – do our children know Jesus? When we send our children to school are they being constantly exposed to the wonders and glories of their Heavenly Father through their learning or are they being brainwashed with something very different. It is important for us to understand that our local schools are not safe neutral ground where our children can gain an education without it affecting their faith. Schools are secular, meaning they have nothing to do with religious or spiritual matters, and yet schools have to comply with government legislation concerning children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. To be secular in education demands you take a stand for certain things; for this reason for example, it is forbidden to teach Intelligent Design as a scientific proposition, a potential moral foundation, its potential social impact, or possible cultural influence. In the UK school inspectors are being trained to ensure that government funded Free Schools are not secretly teaching the children the truth of God as Creator. Secularism by definition rejects God; we are sending our children into the care of an institution that rejects God.

and stress of Christian Education; let alone encourage others to do the same, when the children could go to state schools free of charge?

My wife Sandra and I have been involved in Christian education for about fourteen years. We started by home educating our two sons when they were 10 and 12; today we oversee two schools with students aged 4-16, some will be with us until they are 18, when they will go on to university. In this article I will be talking about Christian Schools, but what I will share also applies to home educating.

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